INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE: Maximal inspiratory and expiratory pressures (PImax and PEmax) are used to assess the integrity of respiratory muscles by measuring their strength. The aim of this study was to assess the immediate influence of hemodialysis (HD) on respiratory muscle strength by measuring PImax and PEmax, investigating the integrity of that musculature and/or the presence of muscular weakness. METHOD: A prospective, crosssectional study was carried out on a convenience sample of 35 patients with chronic kidney disease (26 men and 9 women; mean age, 51.7 ± 14.7 years) at the Nephrology Division of the Hospital Universitário Alzira Vellano, in the city of Alfenas, in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Patients had their PImax and PEmax taken in the seated position (at 90°) by using a digital manovacuometer (MVD 300®) attached to a notebook for reading and recording data obtained before and after the HD session. RESULTS: Both PImax and PEmax were lower than the values predicted for pre- and post-HD (p < 0.0001). Comparing the values obtained pre-HD and post- HD, PImax showed a slight improvement (p = 0.0420), evidenced only in patients with pre-HD values below 60 cmH2O (Wilcoxon; p = 0.0480). Post-HD PEmax did not differ from the pre-HD measure (p = 0.4987). CONCLUSION: The CKD patients showed a serious impairment of their respiratory muscle function, and only one isolated HD session could not significantly improve their maximum respiratory pressures. A slight improvement in the inspiratory strength was observed in patients whose PImax was lower than 60 cm-H2O before the procedure.
muscular strength; chronic kidney failure; renal dialysis
